Lottery winnings for the hometown, and more

Lottery winnings for the hometown

A Missouri couple have used their record lottery winnings to improve their hometown. Mark and Cindy Hill have spent chunks of their $293 million fortune on the town of Camden Point, buying it a new firehouse and baseball field, refurbishing the town’s wastewater system, and topping up the high school scholarship fund. The Hills’ gifts amounted to 25 years of taxpayer receipts for the town. “That’s just the kind of people they are,” said fire chief Walt Stubbs. “They were that way before the money came.”

A basketball fan's dream evening

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Michael Drysch last week had the kind of night basketball fans can only dream of. The 50-year-old computer technician had been selected to attempt a half-court shot during the Miami Heat–Detroit Pistons game. When Drysch threw his long hook shot high into the air, the crowd groaned, then screamed in delight as the ball went in. Superstar LeBron James was so thrilled he ran to mid-court to congratulate Drysch, knocking him to the floor in an embrace. “I had made that shot something like 1 percent of the time in my life,” said Drysch, who won $75,000 for his efforts.

Family reunites after 15 years

A Sudanese pastor has been reunited with his family in Minnesota, 15 years after he sent them to America to escape anti-Christian violence. Cheing Chut’s family fled southern Sudan in the 1990s, but the First Adventist minister stayed behind to ensure his congregation’s safety. After 9/11, Sudan was named a sponsor of terrorism, making immigration to the U.S. nearly impossible. But this week, after years of work to overcome red tape, Chut was finally reunited with his wife and six children. “We never thought this day would come,” said his daughter Nyahon Chut.